Nicole Macdowell
Staff Writer
I grew up with horror movies. I’ve seen most of them. Personally, I love Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street. Something about the sociopathic killer really touches my heart.
I heard about SMILEY on YouTube. The film’s producer, Michael Gallagher, is a know comedian on YouTube by the name of TotallySketch. I’m a fan of his work, and this was his first major production, and it’s a horror film. It’s the perfect combination.
I wanted to see this movie when it premiered in theaters, but that would have meant a 3 hour drive into Manhattan, NY. So I waited until February 10th, the official DVD/ Online Purchase date. I purchased it online and got ready to watch what I was sure to be an amazing film.
The movie follows Ashley, a young girl who goes off to college still mourning the death of her mom. She makes new friends, namely Binder and her flat mate, Proxy. At a party, she learns about “Smiley”, an internet killer with nothing but a gruesome smile carved into his face. In the same way that you summon Bloody Mary, you can summon Smiley. If you type “It’s all about the lulz” three times into the chat box, Smiley kills you.
So, out of teenage curiosity, Ashley and Proxy go searching for Smiley themselves, and it ends the same way it ended for everyone else: someone dies. Ashley, now alone, begins to feel paranoid and thinks Smiley is following her at school. In one scene, Binder tells her that “it’s like something’s been born”.
As the paranoia grows, so does the energy of the movie. Is Smiley hiding in her room? Is Smiley watching her at this very moment? She desperately tries to calm herself by insisting that Smiley does not exist….or does he?
I’m not going to spoil the ending. If you want to find out who Smiley is and what happens, you can go buy the movie. The movie is sold on DVD at Wal-Mart. Or you can purchase online at www.smileymovie.com
Smiley stars YouTube personalities such as Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV), Toby Turner (TobyTurner) and Jason Horton (jasonhorton) as well as established actors such as Caitlin Gerard (Magic Mike) and Melanie Papalia (Endgame). The movie is Rated “R” because of its highly graphic content.
All in all, this movie was fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I highly recommend this to anybody who enjoys horror and psychological games. 8/10
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